IRL to change driver weight rules

UPDATE #2 As it turns out this is another smoke and mirrors IRL rules change. The IRL is not implementing the rule like a professional race series would….like the FIA does….i.e. to make all car/driver combos equal in weight. The other professional race series like Champ Car and F1 do it that way. How could we ever believe that the IRL would do anything to take away Danica's weight advantage? How naive we were.

As it turns out the IRL is going to take an average weight of drivers and if you are under that weight you add 10 pounds to your car. If you are over that weight, you remove 10 pounds from your car. That's it! However, some cars don't have 10 pounds to take out, especially when they are carrying an onboard camera.

So if a driver weighs 180 pounds, and Danica weighs 100 pounds, then the difference might be reduced to 60 pounds instead of 80 pounds as it was before. Well 60 pounds still equates to about 1/2 second per lap on a road course. On top of that they implemented variable steering and paddle shifters for Danica because at the end of the road course races she was extremely tired. So in effect, when you add it all up, they have given Danica more advantage then they have taken away in what truly has to be the biggest farce in racing we have seen in quite some time.

02/06/08 This rumor is upgraded to 'fact' today. In an attempt to keep lighter drivers from having an unfair advantage over heavier ones, the IRL IndyCar Series will institute a minimum car-and-driver weight requirement this coming season, 6Sports Director Dave Furst reported Tuesday.

The minimum combined car-driver weight has yet to be established. The rule will require lighter drivers to add weight to their cars to meet the established number.

Cars carrying less weight are considered to have an advantage over cars carrying more, especially in road and street races. This has caused some to say that lighter IRL drivers such as Danica Patrick had an unfair edge over heavier ones.

IRL President Brian Barnhart said he doesn't want the new rule "to be viewed as a Danica rule."

"It's clearly not," Barnhart said. "It's the direction the series is going, with a third of our events on road and street races, and it's our obligation to provide as level a platform as possible." The Indy Channel

02/02/08 Rumor has it that starting this year, like Champ Car, IRL drivers will be weighed and cars will be made the same weight for all drivers by adding additional weight to the car….no more advantage for Danica or the smaller drivers. The GoDaddy.com girl could be going to the back of the pack once her lack of weight advantage is taken away. Helping her of course will be the paddle shifters and variable rate steering rack.

Speaking of paddle shifters, three IRL cars were here in Sebring the last two days testing their new paddle shifter system. Dixon was driving for Ganassi, Castroneves and Briscoe for Penske and Andretti for AGR. We hear the system worked pretty well but they had to make some changes in the software because the drivers could not feel the shifts. Lap times were two seconds slower than the Champ Cars.

Expect the news to be made public on Monday….maybe Tuesday we hear. Mark C.